We have had 3 renters living in the small house next door to us since we purchased this house.

First, was Rosa. I liked her. She was friendly, talkative sometimes, her dog was a bit loud, but she was nice and knew he was annoying.

Rosa had bbq's on her side porch and that first summer i had a few sleepless and smokey nights since our bedroom window is right across our driveway from said porch. Last we heard, she bought a house on Hoyt somewhere. The landlord didn't like her and thought she was messy.

Then, there was Casey and Charles. Nice younger couple. They had a cute little mutt that i cannot remember the name of, which surprises me. That dog would bark for about a minute in sharp, deep loud barks, but once she got to know us and settled in she barked less.

They were rarely home, but when they were, they were friendly and mostly quiet neighbours. They moved to Rochester for her work.

Currently, the couple that live beside us are, for all i know, very nice people. I just don't see that nice side of them much. I attempted to have some friendly words with them, but neither seemed keen, and that's cool, not everyone is chittychatty like me.

They have or had 2 dogs. A bigger, friendly one and another small barkey min-pin.One morning, at about 6, perhaps 6:30am, the little one began his barking and barking and barking. Those that have or know of little dogs and their insessant barking know how much it can freeze the brain. This was not the first morning of bark, but i had stayed quiet, hoping the dog would settle in time and get used to his new digs. No luck. This one morning, it seemed to go on forever and ever. So, i knocked on their front door. No answer. So, i rang the bell... and rang it and rang it and rang it. And when they answered, furious, i was polite. For about 5 seconds. It let to a shouting match. I attempted to stay on subject, but she let it stray all over the damn place, insulting many things about me, calling me a cracker bitch. Then, the dog was gone. No matter what she may or may not think, i like dogs and it saddens me she felt i may do the poor barker harm.

Shortly before this i was on my way home from work and was following a slow moving car. It signaled and pulled up in front of their house, blocking both their driveway pad and the entrance to our driveway. It sat there. I hit the horn. That is when and how i found out the horn on my old Saturn Blue Bitch did not work. So, i got out. Now, here is where the recollection of my neighbour's varies from my own, which i have to say is rather odd since she was never there in the first place. I walked up to the driver's window and asked him to move please. He would not roll down his window. So, i tapped it and he ignored me. So, i yelled through his window, "you're in my way, can you move?" He called me some name and moved. I got back in my car and pulled into my driveway.

During the incident with the dog in the morning, she told me that i was a rude racist bitch to her cousin.

Not too long ago, my husband politely requested that they park on their side of the driveway because he leaves for work early in the morning and wants to clear both cars easily. That exchange with the dude went well. He does seem to be a reasonable sorta person.

Today, they were fixing or adjusting something with the gate on the shared fence and standing on our property to do so. No one made any comments to each other, but (e:Uncutsaniflush) did notice that the ragged edges of the hand tied metal wires (the ones that Casey and Charles put up to keep their dog from running and that ripped my winter coat last winter) are turned back on our side. She did, however, make a comment under her breath that she is surprised the racists next door did not call the cops for being on their property.

Seriously? How does any of this define us as racists? Must be that all white folk are, huh?

Linus



We got him on Thursday from the Tonawanda SPCA. He's about 7 months, and a big, friendly, inquisitive boy. :o)

What i forgot to tell you in my last post is how amazing the food experiences were in Detroit and how lame i am for not taking more food pictures. In one of those "here's what we have to offer!!!" magazines about Detroit, i saw a food ad and we loved the place so much we ate there 3 times. Sweet Loraine's a place we never would have gone to had i not seen the menu -- Vegetarian Meatloaf?!? Amazing. And, i have to say - the best veggie burger. Ever.



Went to the Botanical Gardens. How could i not take a few pictures?







This one represents my extreme fear of bees... and how i needed to try to take some pictures of a big fat one.





I called 911 last night when the crakling of a fire woke me up after i had just gone to sleep... at about 2:15am. Kinda scary. The house behind us and over one had a fire in it's garage/carriage house.

It's been close to a month since we got back. And just now, i got round to getting a coupla snaps up...




Isn't this what comes to mind when we think of Detroit?




This is what an empty urban neighborhood looks like. This one was once called Poletown.




View of downtown from Belle Island, with the landmark "Ren Cen" in all its glory...




Ceiling of the Belle Island Conservatory.




A cherry in the Belle Island Conservatory.




More plantlife in the Belle Island Conservatory.




Excellent mexican food in the Mexicantown neighborhood, not too far from downtown and the massive construction around the Ambassador Bridge. Old train station in the background...




Aren't cows cute? How can humans eat them? This one was a loud heifer in the working farm section of the Henry Ford Greenfield Village.




Wee baby lamby, just a few days old...




View from a bubble in a pane of glass in a historical house in the Henry Ford Greenfield Village.




Dark shot of an old plane in the Henry Ford Museum...




Bus that made Rosa Parks, well, a hero to many. I have to admit, i am a sap. Sitting there in that bus made me cry.




Young male elephant at the Toledo Zoo... mom is in the background.




A meerkat in the Toledo Zoo.

Looking at them all now, i realize i don't take what one could call traditional holiday snaps....

Look away, work again.

Refresher SCIP-R class tonight. Scheduled to be done with my boss and a long time staffer. While there, boss' iphone tells her that an individual is making accusations against me. I was expecting it because i used planned ignoring for Monday's attention seeking behaviors. Still stings a bit, though.

Friday, i "drop my t" and go from being a DAT (developmental aide trainee) to a DA (developmental aide). It's a big deal. And, apparently, the biggest single raise in pay i will probably ever get. I made it a whole year.

But has it been worth it all?

We got back late last night. Had a lovely time in Detroit. Yes, i said lovely. Hard to believe one could have a lovely time there, huh?

I will probably post a few pictures once i get all the upacking and laundry done, squeezed in before i go back to work... But, in the meantime, a few observations.

Detroit, bad reputation that it has, is surpisingly free of litter. Driving around, good neighborhoods and bad, there was hardly a scrap of litter.

Detroiters take pedestrians having the right of way seriously. Cars always stopped, no matter the neighborhood.

Detroit's child population has the same good manners their parents have. Please, excuse me and thank you were used.

Lots of streets that a driver is unable to make a left turn onto. Instead, there were these weird turnaround u-turn thingies. One would, for example, be driving down 9 mile and want to make a left onto Woodward. Instead, one would have to make a right, quickly zip over to the 3 lanes to the left one and wait inbetween the medians at a uturn thingie... that had a light. Very odd.

.. and all other (e:peeps) who like to take some pretty snaps now and then. And yeah, that totally includes you, (e:Libertad)!

Botanical Gardens has a photo contest. You both should enter some pics...!!

I smell a rat

When i left work on Saturday evening at 11pm, it was with the realization that i would not have to step foot into that unit for 10 whole days. Felt so liberating!

I think, however, i am going to call my union and my e.a.p. A co-worker was verbally abusive and nearly physically abusive to me in front of the individuals we serve. I feel slightly guilty because i may have been a bitch to him. My immediate supervisor and the on duty nurse both say i did nothing wrong, except not walk away from the situation sooner, since i was trying to reason with the guy.

Its difficult to rat someone out, though. Even if it is the right thing to do. And i hate to have to do it... but what if it goes further next time and he does hurt someone physically? How guilty would i feel then?

• sigh*

'oliday

(e:Uncutsaniflush) and i are going to go away for a few days. He has some time off too. Been too long since we have been anywhere. Waaaaaaaaaayyy too long. I miss travelling....

My first thought was to fly to San Francisco, since i have always wanted to go, but we want something low key and perhaps driveable. Then, we thought of going to my old stomping grounds, Halifax, Nova Scotia, but the ferry from Portland Maine to Yarmouth, NS doesn't start up until the end of May and without it, it's too long a drive for a 6 day holiday. Instead, we are going to head out to his old stomping grounds, Detroit. Probably drive thought Canada on the way there 'cause the long weekend (Victoria Day aka May Two-Four Weekend) won't have kicked in yet... then stay in the USA for the journey back 'cause it has.


Get Out of My House!

Every year, mice invade our house for the winter. I have been very nice, insisting we don't kill them, merely chase them away or trap them and let them go. But, we have a couple of sneaky bastards that do not realize it is spring and they need to vacate NOW. I am getting to the point when i am ok killing them!!! GO AWAY MICE!!

She started off with the name "uh-oh" (e:LeeTee,43805)

Then, we named her and her "sister" Tux and Tofu (e:LeeTee,43858)

Tux, sadly, did not live very long with us (e:LeeTee,44386)

Then, yesterday, we made the decision that Tofu had experienced enough discomfort and perhaps pain.

She had developed a rather large growth, most likely a breast tumour and it was steadily growing larger.

At first, she found alternative ways to make it around her cage just fine. The growth was under her right armpit, so she she couldn't just walk from place to place. She had to jump, then arch her back, then, she had to scale the walls up, then scoot across, then scoot back down.

Then, we had to get rid of some of the higher platforms, because she was stumbling. A couple of nasty falls were enough.

Just the other day, we moved her water right beside her cubyhole house and dump some food right at the door, too. She couldn't getup the wee ramp to get to her food and water.

Yesterday morning, she didn't want any leftover cold pasta. Gasp! She LOVED pasta. And lettuce. She did not want either. It was time.

RIP old girl. Our tenacious T.